ROSENBERG, Texas—Designers from VLK Architects recently helped celebrate the dedication of the new Adriane Mathews Gray Elementary School for the Lamar Consolidated School District.

Gray Elementary School is designed for ease of student circulation throughout its campus, as well as to offer a secure academic environment. Gray Elementary offers six classroom pods for each grade that branch off from the school’s main corridor. Common areas are dedicated to collaborative learning, and outdoors the school features additional learning courtyards. At the campus center is its media center and event space.

Adriane Mathews Gray, an alumna of Lamar Consolidated, created Lunches of Love, a nonprofit devoted to feeding children in need. The organization continues to feed more than 4,000 children daily at the 18 Lamar CISD schools. Accordingly, the school was named in her honor.

“Adriane’s heart for students and her community is contagious, and it was very evident that she loved what she did,” said Dr. Roosevelt Nivens, Lamar CISD superintendent. “It was a true honor to know Adriane, and the service that Lunches of Love provides to the community is second to none.”

“We are extremely excited to be able to work with LCISD and Dr. Nivens to provide another outstanding learning facility to meet their tremendous growth needs on time and within the budget,” added VLK Managing Partner Todd Lien.

VLK operates from offices in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth. The firm specializes in the K-12 design and planning sector. Drymalla Construction Company was the general contractor on the project.

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FREEPORT, Texas—Groundbreaking festivities were in order at Brazosport High School, located near the Gulf of Mexico, when Brazosport ISD officials were on hand to turn over the first shovelfuls of earth at the site of what will soon be the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center.

The 76,000-square-foot CTE Center will offer several specialized training courses in such avocations as journalism, cosmetology, floral design and veterinary medicine. Inside various technical classrooms, budding professionals will also attend workshops for agricultural engineering, welding and construction programs. The learning spaces will offer both large windows to allow in outdoor lighting as well as immediately accessible outdoor workspace for additional use.

Other practical instructional programs will include yearbook design, as well as areas dedicated to multimedia production, podcasting and television green screen usage. The CTE Center’s cosmetology lab will have field-worthy stations for pedicures, hair styling, facial treatments and manicures. And students in the veterinary tech classrooms will learn how to properly care for and groom animals.

“Our new Career and Technical Education building will serve as a hub of innovation, fostering creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning,” Danny Massey, Superintendent of Brazosport ISD, said at the groundbreaking. “This facility will provide our students with access to cutting-edge technology, modern workshops, and industry-standard equipment across a wide range of disciplines. Together, we will build not only a physical structure for our students today, but also a legacy of excellence for generations to come.”

VLK Architects is working with Drymalla Construction Company, both of Texas, on the project.

The CTE Center construction is funded thanks to a 2019 bond to direct $267 million to the district’s renovation work.

Monika Castillo, principal with VLK, enthused that the CTE Center will allow Brazosport ISD to continue delivering instruction that will better the district’s students as they prepare to enter the workforce.

“VLK has been fortunate to work with a client who invests in providing leadership and innovation for their students to make them future-ready,” Castillo said in a statement to School Construction News. “This new facility will allow the CTE programs to be on display throughout the hallways, which will allow future or prospective students and/or visitors to appreciate and be excited about the work being done at the facility. It is always a challenge to deliver a project while ensuring the adjacent facility is fully operational and safe for the students and staff, but in working with the district and Drymalla Construction, we were able to map out a plan where the district will continue to deliver education seamlessly until all phases of the project are complete.”

Construction on the CTE Center is projected to be completed in December 2024.

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HUTTO, Tex.—As the final steel beam at what will be the new Gus Almquist Middle School was hoisted into place at the construction site, the beam took along to its new home the signatures of members of VLK Architects and the Hutto Independent School District.

Drymalla Construction Company LLC is serving as general contractor for the two-story middle school, which will host 1,200 students. Specific educational space will be dedicated to fine arts, athletics.

VLK applied its VLK | LAUNCH^® approach to collaborate with district leaders and the community to imagine an innovative design that incorporated a centralized outdoor courtyard. VLK’s design also features a space for cafeteria overflow, and many classrooms will have adjacent outdoor accessibility for project-based learning. Additionally, the school will offer a second-floor library as well as tiered seating that can be utilized for spectators to observe lectures, presentations and even esports.

The new Gus Almquist Middle School will be the third school within the district to bear the name of Hutto ISD’s former board president.

“It was a pleasure honoring the Almquist family at today’s beam-signing ceremony,” Tim Kunz, principal at VLK Architects, said at the event. “Their inscriptions, along with many others, will be a part of this building forever. VLK is grateful to support teaching and learning in Hippo Nation and looks forward to seeing future students thrive in their new middle school.”

Hutto ISD entails seven elementary schools, two middle schools, a ninth grade center, one high school and an alternative campus. The new middle school is scheduled to open for students in the fall of 2024.

VLK perform planning, architectural and interior design work in the K-12 sector. The firm operates from offices in San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Houston and Fort Worth.

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PECOS, Texas—Personnel from the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD and staff from VLK Architects jointly celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the district’s new Agricultural Sciences Complex—the seventh project the two entities have collaborated on. Just before the final beam was hoisted into place, students from Pecos High School signed their names to the length of steel, ensuring their own connection to the edifice for posterity.

The 13,550-square-foot structure will be utilized specifically for instruction in livestock sciences. To undertake this mission, the ASC will be home to classrooms, storage space, areas for animal feeding, as well as staff and other offices. Livestock pens will have direct access to grazing areas as well as a show arena, and students will obtain in-the-field training in washing and grooming the animals. Bird screens are being installed to provide adequate ventilation, and a dedicated heating system and fans will keep the barn reasonably cool.

The ASC is anticipated to be open and running come November.

“The PBTISD Agricultural Science Complex will support many students across the district of all ages and our high school FFA program,” Brent Jaco, superintendent of Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD, said at the topping out. “The district is excited to provide a space for students interested in agriculture, and to give them a place where they will be able to come and raise their livestock for showing season.”

Added VLK Principal Monika Castillo: “VLK is honored to be a part of this topping-out ceremony marking a significant milestone in the construction process. We have been very fortunate to partner with PBTISD to design the new Agricultural Sciences Complex that will provide students with hands-on learning opportunities.”

VLK operates from Lone Star State offices in Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Austin. The firm has been heavily involved in educational construction throughout Texas.

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FORT WORTH, Tex.—Personnel from VLK Architects, Core Construction and the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD popped some metaphorical—and perhaps literal—champagne in early May to celebrate the topping out of the new Eagle Mountain High School. A cheer went up as the final structural beam was lifted into place for what will soon be the fourth high school in the district.

VLK’s design will allow for abundant natural light at the new school, with extra-large windows providing views of the surrounding Lone Star State geography. Meanwhile, the design incorporates a sky bridge linking academic areas with dining spaces, athletic areas as well as fine arts classrooms. The school will also feature a double-volume library as well as art classrooms housed under a covered outdoor patio that can be utilized in all seasons. The campus grounds will also be home to a pond that will be useful for science classes as well as provide natural irrigation throughout the grounds.

VLK and Core collaborated with the district on crafting a new school that would meet the current and future educational needs of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD district. Under the current construction timeline, the new high school is slated to open for the fall of 2024.

“Creating an environment in which young learners thrive in alignment with EMS ISD’s mission is one of the goals of Eagle Mountain High School’s design,” Lauren Brown, VLK principal, said during the ceremony.

Added EMS ISD Superintendent Dr. Jim Chadwell: “The walls and halls are just a backdrop to the teaching and learning taking place; the design should not hinder but bolster the robust curriculum provided by EMS ISD. It is an honor to be a part of the team that transformed a site with over 630,000 square feet of building area into a new learning environment that will be here for decades.”

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MIDLOTHIAN, Tex.—Construction management firm Adolfson & Peterson (AP) has completed modifications to Midlothian Independent School District’s (MISD) Heritage High School.

Commencing in the summer of 2020, the $53 million worth of renovations included redesigning a two-story wing at Heritage to entail a fine arts complex, storm shelter, gym facility and science laboratories.  All told, that meant AP had to add 185,000 square feet of space to the high school, which also included a cafeteria and expanded workout space and turf field.

AP worked in conjunction with Texas’s own VLK Architects at Midlothian.

“Completing this expansion during the fall semester adds to the enthusiasm for the whole community,” Zack Rogers, AP’s vice president and project executive, said in a recent news release about work at Midlothian.  “Students are welcomed by a new entrance that immediately catches your attention with its large radiused cast stone wall, colored concrete, brick pavers and landscaping in addition to the new classroom wing.

“The new fine arts complex and athletics fields will set up Heritage High School students for success as they prepare for their futures.”

MISD was founded in 1906 and now hosts nearly 10,000 students and over 1,000 employees at the district’s 12 campuses.

AP’s other recent Lone Star educational projects include the Arts and Athletics Complex for the Arlington ISD and an educational facility for the Fort Worth ISD.  The firm has also recently commenced work expanding Midland College.  AP isranked among Engineering News Record’s Top 100 Contractors list.

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PECOS, Tex.—The Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District has broken ground on a new athletic facility that will be the toast of this area of southwestern Texas as it replaces an older facility on the same site.

As redesigned from its former iteration, Eagle Stadium at Rotary Field will be the venue where the Pecos High School Eagles play their home football games. In addition to the new field, the complex will feature bright lights suitable for outdoor night-time play and a very large central entry plaza. The field will be utilized for soccer, track and field, band practices as well as various other events and celebrations.

According to the Odessa American, in the summer of 2021 the old Eagle Stadium was declared not structurally sound, and thus the fall football season there had to be scrapped. The ISD’s board of education approved a budget of $17.5 million that autumn for the renovation, and the project broke ground in the first part of 2022.

As designed by VLK Architects, the new Eagle Stadium will feature concession stands, seating for both visitors and home fans, as well as a state-of-the-art press box. The redesigned stadium will also feature new turf and a track that has been totally resurfaced.

VLK Architects is working in conjunction with BTC Construction for the next era of Eagle Stadium at Rotary Field.

According to the Odessa American, the old stadium had a seating capacity of 5,000, but the redesigned facility will only be able to seat 4,000.

“We are excited to bring a new, dynamic stadium to PBTISD that will be the envy of other districts across West Texas,” Brent Jaco, Superintendent of PBTISD, said in a recent statement about the athletic field and stadium. “Though the former structure is gone, the land remains…this land has been the site of athletic events for over 90 years in the community. So, the memories will always remain for everyone that comes through PBTISD.”

Added Monika Castillo, AIA, Principal of VLK Architects: “VLK Architects is excited to be a part of this project that will impact so many people in the PBTISD community. This is the second construction project across the district, and it has been an honor to continue our relationship with PBTISD.”

The project is scheduled to be completed in August.

VLK Architects has its main offices in Houston and Fort Worth. In addition to the work at the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District, VLK’s other educational projects in the Lone Star State include Marine Creek Middle School and Cheney Hills Elementary School.

BTC Construction’s Texas educational projects include Montwood High School and Eastwood High School.

Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD began in 1883 as a single schoolhouse located along the Pecos River. The district now serves more than 2,600 students across five campuses.

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HOUSTON—General contractor Cadence McShane Construction has commenced building two new schools for the Port Neches-Groves Independent School District in Texas. Cadence McShane is overseeing construction of the new schools, which are to be called Port Neches Intermediate School and Groves Intermediate School. The construction work commenced in April and is set to be completed in August of next year.

VLK Architects designed the two schools, which will be all but identical in appearances. Each school will encompass 106,000 square feet and be able to host 750 children in grades three through five.

The scope of the project required first demolishing Woodcrest Elementary school. Port Neches Intermediate School is being built next to an existing elementary school and Groves Intermediate School in an empty field.

Each school will offer a media library, cafeteria, computer labo, science and art wing, as well as a special education wing.

A statement released by Cadence’s Houston office called the project an exciting chance to “provide the students of Port Neches and Groves with a learning environment where they can be the best versions of themselves.”

“We are excited to work with the Port Neches-Groves School District and CBRE Project Management, and hope to form a lasting relationship,” added Colby Rose, vice president and general manager of Cadence, in a recent statement about the projects.

Both schools will be ready for the 2022-2023 school year.

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ALLEN, Texas—VLK Architects was recently awarded the Caudill Award for the design of the Allen ISD STEAM Center in Allen, Texas, a city of approximately 85,000, located 23 miles north of Dallas.

The jury noted the design of the Allen STEAM Center stood out due to its “innovation that solved community needs and enrollment growth while looking to the horizon for determining future student interests and skills” and how the “total shift in culture occurred with an explosion of STEAM interest across the district.”

The two-story arc-shaped building was designed with separate high school STEAM and elementary/middle school experience designated entrances with the intention to provide a foundational system promoting curiosity, cultivating future-ready skills, and preparing Allen ISD students for success in STEAM-related areas.

The Caudill Award is the highest honor in the TASA/TASB Exhibit of School Architecture (EoSA) competition. Allen STEAM was also the only project in the EoSA Competition that received all six Stars of Distinction awards.

The STEAM Center offers specialized spaces such as engineering and robotics labs, computer labs, computer maintenance instructional programs, science and physics labs, math classrooms, and studios for the architecture and interior design programs.

Collaboration spaces, common areas, and huddle rooms are situated throughout the facility to provide a range of places for groups to collaborate on projects. Throughout the center, visibility and transparency across disciplines creates an open co-creative atmosphere that provides younger students a window to the advanced upper classes. The design integrates a rich outdoor setting, providing learning trails and ecological zones for exploration.

“The Allen ISD STEAM Center is a unique facility that empowers our students to engage in experiential learning,” said Robyn Bullock, Allen ISD Superintendent, in a statement.

“From the tranquil outdoor trails and pond, the hands-on makerspace labs, and the carefully planned science labs and classrooms, the STEAM Center provides our students the opportunity to engage in future-focused STEAM lessons and activities. We are proud to have partnered with VLK throughout the design process to create our one-of-a-kind facility that is helping build innovative and collaborative skillsets for all students.”

The new STEAM Center supports innovative instruction across the district, offering Kindergarteners to 12^th-grade students more than 100,000 square feet of increased exposure to science, technology, engineering, art and math-integrated experiences.

“We are so proud to have received the Caudill Award in recognition of this incredible project,” said Sloan Harris, CEO | Partner of VLK Architects, in a statement.

“Our team’s exploration and research in what this facility could be founded the design that became real innovation in a learning environment, centered around Allen ISD’s bold vision for this one-of-a-kind school. We are grateful for the partnership with Allen ISD and to be a part of this project.”

The Allen STEAM Center also recently received a Merit Award at the 2020 AIAFW Excellence in Architecture.

Cadence McShane Construction of Addison, Texas, was the general contractor on this impressive project.

Student enrollment has more than doubled since 1989 in the Allen Independent School District, which serves than 20,780 in grades K-12. Students attend one of 18 elementary schools, three middle schools, one freshman center, and one high school staffed by 2,660 Allen ISD employees.

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MIDLOTHIAN, Texas—A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held to celebrate the renovation and construction of an addition to Midlothian Independent School District’s Heritage High School in Midlothian.

Located in northwest Ellis County, 25 miles southwest of Dallas, the $53 million project includes a 185,000-square-foot addition to Heritage High School, adding a second-level classroom wing, two gymnasiums, a fine arts complex, cafeteria expansion, and four new athletic facilities.

With a completion date slated for Summer 2022, the project will also include renovations to the existing high school and gymnasium spaces, a new football field, a new entrance pavilion, and parking lot expansions. 

VLK Architects is the architect on this impressive project. Adolfson & Peterson Construction is the general contractor.

“We are both proud and excited to partner with Midlothian ISD and Adolfson & Peterson in the realization of Phase 2 of the master plan of Heritage High School,” said Ross Rivers, principal, VLK Architects, in a statement.

“We believe in fostering an environment where every student can discover their passions and reach their unlimited potential,” added Dr. Lane Ledbetter, Superintendent of Schools. “Thanks to the support of our community, we can create new opportunities at Heritage High School that will benefit our students for many years to come.”

Established in 1906, the Midlothian Independent School District is a fast-growing K-12 public school district with more than 9,800 students and 1,100 employees. Comprised of 12 campuses, MISD focuses on innovative learning environments of academic and vocational student interests.

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